Jesse Ventura for President in 2008

How the Democrats Can Win in 2008
If the Democrats want to win the 2008, they should enlist former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura as their candidate.

I know most Minnesota DFLers considered him an embarrassment. But that's because most MN DFLers are pseudo-progressive elitists. Many DFLers are more than happy to see taxes continue to rise because they already make way more than enough money. Those DFLers who are not well off are generally of another stripe: unionists and entitle-ists. Really they're the same, both expect a governing body to force others to pay them money or support them at a level that is much higher than they generally deserve, and which frequently provides them with a better standard of living than the people they serve (see Bob Smith's blog entry, ``Your servant that makes more than you do,'' for more info on that).

Unionism in private industry is shrinking at incredible rates, while unionism in government, schools, and other government-monopoly services remain quite strong. No wonder DFLers don't mind the stench of teachers' union money in their candidates' coffers-the rich DFLers think throwing money at schools will fix stuff, and if not they can afford private schools or moving to different neighborhoods with higher quality schools, meanwhile, poor DFLers generally approve of unions, even those that have interests that are diametrically opposed with their own interests.

I think it is fair to say that the teachers' union exists to protect and enrich teachers. This is why any union exists, to promote the interests of its members. This puts them into immediate conflict with the public, especially students and parents. I have nothing against paying teachers livable salaries and all that; I think everyone who participates in society should have their basic needs met. Further, most teachers are fabulous people who give a lot of their own time to the task of helping other people's children learn and grow. However, just because teachers may be great people doesn't mean that their union should just get whatever it asks for. But that's exactly what happens when their union funds the campaigns of DFL candidates. It is a conflict of interest.


Jesse is a Real Liberal
Anyway, back to Jesse Ventura and the Democrats. Jesse Ventura is a liberal. A real liberal. He is not a Bill Clinton pretend, liberal hick turned slick politician, nor a John Kerry , east coast, old money, liberal. Jesse Ventura is an actual social liberal.

Yes he has some conservative qualities. He is generally fiscally conservative. Jesse Ventura could easily win the hearts and minds of a lot of the "Red" voters out there simply because he was in the Navy, he was a wrestler, a sports announcer, he's a hunter, he's wealthy (meaning he is not going to spend a lot of time guilt-tripping anyone over their money), he not only campaigned on a tax refund, but delivered. So the libertarian conservatives should love this guy. It's only the social conservatives who might have trouble with him.

To Jesse's credit here is that he has actively promoted actual liberal social policies. He is solidly pro-choice, no friend of religion (even vetoed a Pledge law), has stated approval for legalizing prostitution, approves of medical marijuana (and I would guess he would gladly entertain the idea of decriminalizing beyond that), supports public transportation (Jesse is one of the main reasons we have a light rail train in Minneapolis today), and actively supports gay rights (even standing by one of his gay cabinet members who had something of a scandal). His administration was even amenable to public school funding, just not the teachers' union. He has stated opposition to trade sanctions with Cuba.

In short, the man is an incredible breath of fresh air. I would vote for him without a moment's hesitation. Whether I agreed with him or not, I felt knew where he stood on issues and felt that he would stick to his principles. He was a leader, not a poll follower. He was a man, not a politician.


Democrats Unwilling to Think Openly and Rationally?
Sadly, I'm guessing that most Democrats are closed-minded, small-minded people who are unwilling to enlarge their thinking to recognize opportunities like this. Jesse Ventura would probably accept a Democratic nomination for president, and he would certainly win with it. In fact, I can't think of a single person the Republicans could run against Jesse who would even come close to being able to beat him.

So far I've heard Dems suggesting Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Howard Dean (!!!), and John Kerry . And all I can say is: what are you people smoking that you don't have the courage and gumption to promote the legalization of?

Maybe Obama, but he's a young guy who will have only served 2/3rds of a Senate term by 2008, and so he'll essentially be running for President with two whole years in Washington under his belt. Ridiculous. Plus, he's a Senator, not Mayor, not Governor, not Vice President. He's nobody so far. And the person he beat in Illinois for this Senate seat wasn't exactly a challenge. And he's a Harvard lawyer. Not very inspiring. Maybe to the good folks in Illinois he's a great Senator, but he couldn't possibly win the Presidency in 2008. Look for him in 2016. Maybe.

In any case senators rarely go on to become President without first being VP or Governor or something. In fact, lawyers rarely go on to become President. Look at history:

W, business man, governor;
Clinton, lawyer, but also governor;
Bush, did serve in the House, but was also a business man, CIA director, vice president, ambassador to the UN, etc;
Reagan, actor and governor;
Carter, not a lawyer, but a Senator, then a governor, then a president;
Ford was a lawyer and in Congress, but he was not elected to be President, he was not even elected as a Vice President-he doesn't count;
Nixon, graduated law school, served in both the House and Senate, but also served as VP to a very strong president before losing and then winning the presidency;
LBJ was a teacher and in both houses of Congress, but he was also elected as Vice President and became President only because of an assassination;
JFK was an actual Senator, but not a lawyer-he also had a lot of TV appeal in the first major election to use TV;
Ike was a general in the Army;
Truman was a Senator, but became President the first time while he was VP, he was a lot of things, but never a lawyer;
FDR was a lawyer, but also governor of New York;
Hoover was a lot of things, including a cabinet member;
Coolidge was a Senator, but not when he ran for President, he was Governor of Massachusetts when he first went for the Oval Office, he had also been Lt. Governor and a Mayor;
Harding was a sitting Senator elected to the Presidency, but he was a publisher, not a lawyer;
Wilson was a professor and a governor before being elected President;
Taft was a skull and bones lawyer, but he was governor of the Phillipines and Secretary of War before his election;
Roosevelt was a businessman and VP, who became President after McKinley's assassination and then was elected in his own right later.
So I don't think Hillary or Obama or a Kerry re-run are even remotely good ideas. Obama might be okay if he does something else first. I myself might vote for Clinton for the heck of it, but I really don't think she would win.


Can't Beat Chimpy McFlightsuit?
What I do think is that the Dems should woo Ventura. They need to get over themselves and realize that they are losing the battle. In fact, they are barely even fighting the battle. That they could seriously lose an election to Chimpy McFlightsuit is astounding. The entire leadership of the Democratic party should be tossed out on its ear-baby with bathwater. That means completely sidelining anyone of the "serious" candidates in 2004 (Dean, Clark, etc) and the major players McAuliffe, Shrum, Clinton, etc.

Guys, it's time to "move on" and get some backbones and some candidates who also have backbones. Social liberals are begging you for it and you're not delivering. You're trotting out halfwits who move the party way to the right socially, and completely cave on financial issues. Clinton only got elected because Ross Perot split the conservative vote, heavily. Can you imagine what would have happened if Perot hadn't run? Twice? And things did not improve under Clinton in any way that was a result of his leadership. The areas he led on either imploded (i.e. health care) or were actually conservative issues in the first place (i.e. welfare reform). You need to run a leader, not just of a winning campaign, but of a social movement. And while he doesn't act like a social leader, Jesse Ventura is a strong-willed liberal.

If Ventura decides to run and does so on any ticket other than the Democratic ticket he will kill the Democrats chance to win in 2008. Moreso than Nader, Ventura has experience in politics and incredible name recognition. Unlike Nader, Ventura doesn't have a reputation as a stoddy old 60s liberal. While Ventura actually supports many of the same liberal social positions that Nader has been pushing, I think most Americans (even those supposed "values" voters) would go along with him because he stands up for himself instead of tailoring his message in focus group fashion. Even better, Ventura has been elected once already. In one of the most liberal states in the nation no less. If he can take a perennial blue state like Minnesota and someone like Arnold Schwarzeneggar can take California, I'm guessing Ventura could probably take the whole country.

Please, Democratic Party, work to bring Ventura into the game. With him you could not only win the next election, but you could change the course of the country in a very real way, a very positive way.

Do you want real change in America? Change for the better?


Are you concerned about privacy invasions, giant databases, and our civil liberties turning into door mats?


Are you becoming afraid of the Republicans intertwining church and state?


Are you disappointed with the Democrats "oh so close, but no cigar" repeat performances?


Do more social programs, increased spending, and increased deficits make you feel disenfranchised?


What happened to Bin Laden?



Jesse Ventura is one of the true
"last hopes" for America.

http://www.voters4ventura.com/ Check out this site and see why Jesse is the person for President in 2008.

Sign The Petition - Show your support for Ventura for President in 2008.

Bammo.....

I certainly do entertain the idea of Jesse Ventura running for office in '08! Reason being for me is, since DC has become deeper in corruption than ever before, and since we saw what happened to dignified gentlemen who were more than qualified to win in '04 only to be smeared and cheated out of office by liars.... I think we can use a power punching Ventura to 'slam bam' these republican jerks and just rip the hell out of DC for the next 4 yrs following '08! It couldn't hurt! By the time '08 comes around we will be in such dire straights, that a slug fest will be very welcomed at that point. In fact, on Nov 3, '04 I was ready for such a slug fest.... as it's long past due to knock these bastards completely out of DC! If Ventura picks up steam in the next 3 yrs, I may just be a part of his team. I wished it were Kerry and Edwards for their 2nd term, but under these very corrupt conditions, we are at 'dirty' war my friends and comrads... inside America.

I'd like to hear more views from solid vets here. Isn't it time that we get somebody in DC to kick royal arse on these republican rats and their neoconic bum buddies??





http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2005/02...news/news01.txt

Ventura eyeing White House?

By John Hilton, February 21, 2005

Strong stands

If he were to run for president, Ventura hardly has to worry about being criticized for waffling on tough issues. He calls himself a fiscal conservative and a social liberal "just like most of you."

The First Amendment? Ventura claims America's government is siding with "morality over freedom."

The war in Iraq? The former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran is opposed. Gay marriage? Ventura has a plan to solve that one too: have all marriages — gay and straight — officially recognized as civil unions by governments.

He told a story of a gay former wrestler who was barred from his long-time companion's hospital room because he was not a spouse or next-of-kin.

"Government has no right to tell you who to fall in love with," he said to loud applause. "Let the churches acknowledge marriage. Then the churches could decide not to acknowledge gay marriage — and they have every right to do that."

Ventura shocked the political establishment when he was elected the 38th governor of Minnesota in 1998 as the first-ever Reform Party candidate to win a statewide office. That came after he was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota's sixth-largest city, in 1990 and served until 1995.

After repeated clashes with the Minnesota legislature, Ventura did not run for a second term as governor.

Now Ventura teaches at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government as a visiting fellow in the Institute of Politics, where his group study focuses on third-party politics.

Urging Dickinson students to "become the third party movement," he reminded the audience that three political parties thrived during Abe Lincoln's day.

To prepare for life as a college professor, Ventura grew a wild mane of long hair and a full beard that he had braided to resemble Captain Sparrow, a character in the 2003 cinema hit, "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Pointing to his appearance, Ventura bragged: "There isn't a Republican or a Democrat in this United States who would have the (gumption) to do this."

Ventura working with veterans issues through Operation Truth.



8/24/2004: Launch Press Release

(8/24/04) NEW NATIONAL NON-PARTISAN ORGANIZATION WILL GIVE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETS A VOICE

Jesse Ventura, Bobby Muller, Others Join Operation Truth

NEW YORK – Operation Truth, a new national, non-partisan, non-profit organization aimed at filling the gap in the public dialogue with the first-hand stories of those who served on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan is formally launching today. The group kicked off with a national conference call, and announced its Advisory Board, which includes former Minnesota Governor, Vietnam Veteran and Navy SEAL Jesse Ventura and Bobby Muller, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and founder of the Alliance for Security.

"There is a tremendous gap in the national dialogue about Iraq, because the first-hand perspective, that only those who served on the ground can provide, is not being told," said Founder and Executive Director, Paul Rieckhoff, who served for 10 months as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division. "Operation Truth is going to be the platform for the troops to tell their stories, so the American people can make informed decisions about the issues affecting our troops and hold our leaders accountable."

The group also unveiled a new website, WWW.OPTRUTH.ORG, a feature of which is the ability for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan to create a profile and bring their stories and concerns straight to the American people. In addition, the website provides information on some of the most important issues facing the troops, including "Stop Loss," Veterans Administration (VA) cuts, the role of private contractors in Iraq, and the lack of support systems for families of the troops. The site also has a web log, or "blog," which will be updated daily.

Jesse Ventura said, "I think it comes down to really the word truth - and today we don't get much truth in government in my opinion. And I think that it's about time that we starting getting some truth on the Iraq War and Afghan War, and the way that you're truly going to get the truth is to talk to the soldiers on the ground that are fighting it."

Bobby Muller said, "Ever since I returned from Vietnam, I have been dedicated to making sure that all Americans understand the true causes and consequences of war," said Muller. "People need to get educated and get engaged about how our foreign policy is impacting our nation and our security. I am proud to be joined by a new generation of soldiers who understand the true value their experiences can have in making people aware of what is actually happening millions of miles away and how those actions affect our security here at home."

In addition to Ventura and Muller, the other members of the Advisory Board are Paul Bucha, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and the former President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, and David Chasteen, a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, who is a registered Republican.

Paul Rieckhoff, who is a registered Independent, began forming Operation Truth soon after returning from Iraq to find no organization in America representing the troops' point-of-view. Initial funding for the organization came not from large political groups and donors, but by Rieckhoff selling stock he held, and opening new lines of personal credit.

"I started Operation Truth because I desperately believe the troops and the public need to join together to hold our leaders' feet to the fire on issues facing the military," said Rieckhoff. "I'm mortgaging my entire future on this, but if it bridges the gap between troops and the public, it will be worth it."

I gotta admit, would be interesting. Sure wouldn't be the first Gov. to be elected President, you bring up an interesting possibility.
Move over Ross here comes "The Body"! President James George Janos aka Jessie Ventura! Has a ring to it, don't it.
Seriously though if he got some money behind him, with the mood of the country he could surprise some people. couldn't do any worse than the one we have. could you imagine his cabinet. He'd probably have Arnold as Secretary of State, this could get interesting.

Ventura backed Kerry....


http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/n...ics/9992506.htm

Oct. 23, 2004


The Body slams Bush

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura breaks his silence — sort of — to back Democrat John Kerry

BY TOM WEBB and JIM RAGSDALE

Pioneer Press

Former third-party Gov. Jesse Ventura — in his own unique and bristly way — endorsed Democrat John Kerry for president Friday, a move some analysts say signals trouble for the Bush-Cheney ticket in the Upper Midwest.

Wearing a Rolling Stones jacket and Navy cap, Ventura stood by silently at the state Capitol as his friend Angus King, the former independent governor of Maine, endorsed Kerry. Ventura refused to speak during the news conference.

Friends say they think Ventura broke his own rule against endorsing major-party candidates because he was so unhappy with President Bush's leadership on the war in Iraq, the deployment of National Guard and reservists overseas and the treatment of veterans.

"The last time I talked to Jesse Ventura, a week ago, he was terribly frustrated and not really knowing what to do in terms of this election," said Ventura's former spokesman, John Wodele. "So I can only assume that he came to the conclusion that the issues that were important to him — the war, the use of the military and some of the strategic decisions that were made by this administration — were so bad that we needed something new."

While Democrats were delighted by the endorsement, Republicans reacted with derision.

"Jesse Ventura's grumpiness is a perfect fit for John Kerry's gloomy and pessimistic outlook on America's future," state GOP Chairman Ron Eibensteiner said in a statement. "Ventura has exhausted any goodwill or credibility he had with Minnesota voters a long time ago."

But that's not how it looked to Larry Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political science professor, who sees the Ventura endorsement as potentially powerful.

"This could well tip the outcome in the Upper Midwest," Jacob said.

Here's why. In 2004, party loyalists are tightly locked into Republican and Democratic camps, Jacobs notes — leaving the election outcome in the hands of a small group of independents, many of whom disdain politicians or politics.

"These are voters who are really very distrustful of professional politicians, and feel disconnected with what's going on in the country, in the halls of government," Jacobs said. "Jesse Ventura has bona fides with independent voters. He is an authentic barometer for independent voters, particularly those who decide at the last moment, and don't follow politics all that closely.

"This is someone they're going to listen to."

You got it Ace.... we are in much different times now.... and some heavy muscle is needed to clean house. I still can't imgine the sorry sad state of affairs we'll be in by '08
and I am very serious about that. Our political leaders will have to become more like gladiators just to handle Congress, the Pentagon and K street gangs.